


But This is Life

by Emma_Cresswell



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, I think?, Insomnia, It's happy but sad i guess, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, where Julia and Donny get married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_Cresswell/pseuds/Emma_Cresswell
Summary: The nightmares never truly go away. Not really.





	But This is Life

**Author's Note:**

> Never before have I so desperately wanted to live near New York than I have this past season. Bandstand is just one of the many shows I desperately want to see but can't since I live in the freaking middle of the United States.  
> That being said, I'm relying solely on the obcr, wikipedia plot, and previous Bandstand fics. Shouldn't matter that much since this is post-canon, but just a heads up in case I violate the plot in any atrocious way. But the Julia/Donny ship needed more love, so here's this.  
> Disclaimer: Don't own Bandstand.

The nightmares never truly go away. Not really.

Donny still spends nights at the piano, feverishly putting together the band’s next show. It’s either that or a night of fitful sleep paired with reliving traumatic memories.

He thinks he’s quiet enough not to wake Julia, but she often spends her nights awake as well. And instead of coaxing him to bed as she probably should, she merely listens. Occasionally she’ll come out of their bedroom and sing along to his tunes. But mostly, she just listens.

Even though they’re both losing sleep from this setup, she likes listening to him play. It has a calming effect despite the fact that the music is spurred by painful reminiscing.

And perhaps it’s the music that makes it all the sweeter when Donny finally resigns himself and comes to bed. Julia likes that moment--the moment where Donny slips into a dreamless sleep. She likes watching his dark lashes flutter as he sleeps, she likes tracing her fingers through his hair, she likes listening the soothing sounds of his rhythmic breathing. It's one of the few moments of their whirlwind life where he doesn't carry pain, where he doesn't have the burdens of his past life hanging over him. A moment where they're not veteran and gold-star wife, not the Donny Nova Band. Just husband and wife.

It was different with Michael. Certainly not in a bad way. Donny and Michael, though alike in many ways, are different. And though Julia misses Michael with all her heart, she wouldn’t trade her time with Donny for the world.

After all, it’s life.

**Author's Note:**

> A few items of business.  
> 1) What's the proposed shipping name for Donny/Julia? Does anyone know?  
> 2) It would truly make my day if you left a kudos/comment, but you can do what you want  
> 3) Have a nice day, y'all :)


End file.
